Welcome to the Albanians in Macedonia Crisis Center[This is an archive from the no-longer existing
website.]

Even though the Republic of Macedonia has undergone changes in the last two
decades, fundamental questions still remain to be resolved in regards to the
inter-ethnic relationship among its ethnic mosaic. One would expect that after
the demise of the Yugoslavian Communism, the Republic of Macedonia, after
declaring its independence, would tend towards establishing democratic society
with full human, civil and cultural rights for its citizens, without
discrimination against religious, racial and ethnic background.
Instead,
the post communist era Macedonian state has engaged in human
rights violation against Albanians, Turks, Romanic and other non-Slavic
non-Orthodox groups.

This site intends to shed some light on various forms of oppression,
aggression and human rights violation the Macedonian government has exercised on
the Albanian population since 1991, when Macedonia declared its independence, as
well as the years leading towards the breakup of Yugoslavia.

Macedonians
accused of war crimes: Call for Hague to investigate role of hardline
interior minister(October
6, 2001)'...tribunal to investigate Mr Boskovski
for "grave violations of the Geneva convention, violations of
the laws governing wars and crimes against humanity".'
'At the same time harassment of Albanians around Macedonia was
stepped up, with kidnappings, killings and torture, it claims. It
says the campaign reached its peak when a majority of ethnic Albanian civilians
were driven out of the southern town of Manastir and their homes
and businesses damaged.'Human
Rights Watch: Macedonian Troops Commit Grave Abuses(Sep
5th, 2001) -"The
Macedonian government must answer to the people of Ljuboten. It is
deeply disturbing that the Minister of Interior appears to have been
so intimately involved in one of the worst abuses of the war. We
demand an immediate and impartial investigation." -Elizabeth
Andersen, Executive Director, Europe and Central Asia division

Massacre
report names Macedonia interior minister(The
Telegraph - August 26, 2001)
"Ljubce Boskovski, an ultra-nationalist and a bitter opponent of the
current British-led Nato disarmament mission, will be accused by Human
Rights Watch, an American-based pressure group, of involvement in the
incident in Ljuboten."
"Outside, Fasli heard a baying mob shouting "Let us kill them. Gas
chambers for Shiptars!" Shiptar is a derogatory term for an
Albanian."
Police Abuse Against Albanians Continues in Macedonia(Human
Rights Watch - 08/22/2001)"Persistent police abuse in
Macedonia is simply shocking. Macedonia must urgently address the
violence in its police stations. Ethnic Albanians are being severely
abused, and in some cases beaten to death, without the slightest
prospect of accountability."
[ full
report]

Albanians slaughtered
in Macedonia (August 15,
2001)
"MACEDONIAN security forces shot dead five unarmed ethnic Albanian villagers
in cold blood on the eve of Monday's ceasefire signing, witnesses said
yesterday." "The victims on the hillside had each been shot from
behind as they fled. Bajram Jashari, a 30-year-old farmer was lying
on his back, not far from two dead cows."

Macedonia Party Denounces
Peace Plan(July 17, 2001)Massacre waiting to
happen-
Scotland On Sunday (July 8, 2001)
"A SENIOR government official has warned that Macedonian armed
forces could massacre Albanian civilians unless the international
communityintervenes in the country's burgeoning civil war."
"He said some elements of the police were not under government
control and one of the major Macedonian political parties, a partner
in the coalition government, was actively destabilising peace efforts
and fomenting ethnic hatred."
"The official, a Macedonian Slav, said there was a real danger of some
Macedonians committing war crimes on a scale seen in Croatia, Bosnia and
Kosovo.

Ethnic
cleansing in making?
Pamphlet Raises Ethnic TensionsHuman Rights Watch
(New York, June 25, 2001):Excerpt from the "MACEDONIA PARAMILITARY 2000
ORDER":"We order all Shiptars[derogatory
term for ethnic Albanians-tr.] who have objects for sale-shopkeepers
here and around the Kwantaskhi bazaar-to leave within three days,
and for those Shiptars from Aracinovo, the deadline is 24 hours.
After this deadline, all the shops will be burned, and if someone
tries to protect [them], the same will be killed without
warning."
"We inform Shiptars of the Macedonian republic that for every killed
police officer or soldier 100 Shiptars who do not have citizenship or who
took citizenship after 1994 will be killed. For every police officer
or soldier disabled, 50 Shiptars will be killed. For every
wounded police officer or soldier wounded, 10 Shiptars will be
killed, no matter what gender or age."[full
article ]Macedonia
Brutality Fuels Rebels:AP
(Jun 16h, 2001): "It was
not the cracked bones or the painful back injuries that made
Nazim Bushi's teeth clutch with anger."
"Supporters of Bushi, an ethnic Albanian officer serving with the
Macedonian police at the military airport in Skopje, say he is a victim
of police brutality that has proliferated since ethnic Albanian
militants took up arms in February, demanding broader rights and
claiming discrimination by majority Macedonian Slavs."
"Already, the rebels claim police harassment of ethnic Albaniancivilians
is feeding them with new recruits." [full
article]

Rioters Burn Albanian Homes in
Bitola
Police Fail to Stop Violencend several graves had been broken open. The
windows of the mosque were broken, and rioters had set the carpets
inside the mosque on fire..."
" Witnesses interviewed by Human Rights Watch stated that the rioters
had yelled slogans including "Death to Albanians," "Pure Bitola,"
"Albanians Out of Bitola," "Get Out Albanians," and other such
statements. The rioters told some of the ethnic Albanians that they had
a week to get out of town before being targeted again."[full article ]

Macedonian Police Abuses Documented: Ethnic Albanian Men Separated,
Tortured at Police Stations:Human
Rights Watch (HRW May 31st, 2001):"Ethnic
Albanian men fleeing the fighting in Macedonia face severe ill-treatment
by the police. We have documented serious beatings and torture of ethnic
Albanians at the Kumanovo and Skopje police stations in the last week.
The victims we interviewed have the bruises and injuries to back up
their claims of abuse." [full article]

Macedonian
Government Abuses in Runica: Village International Community Should Push
for a Full Investigation:Human
Rights Watch (HRW May 29th, 2001): "Our investigations show that
Macedonian forces burned civilians' homes and beat some villagers last
week in the village of Runica. These crimes must be impartially
investigated, and those responsible brought to account." [full
article]

Albanians Say Macedonian Troops "burned our school" and "and they burned
the mosque and the cattle": Reuters
(May 22, 2001):`` They smashed our
windows when everyone was asleep and dragged us out. Then they poured
petrol on buildings and set them on fire,'' she said. ``They burned our
school which was built for us by (Italian charity) Caritas, and they
burned the mosque and the cattle and horses in their stalls.''[full
article]Police
Brutality:NY Times (May
17th, 2001):Macedonia Albanian recounts how " he was beaten and
interrogated while blindfolded and handcuffed for five days, before
being dumped in the countryside on Tuesday miles from home." [full
article]Macedonian
Forces Responsible for Killing and Destruction:Human
Rights Watch (HRW) March 2001:"Available
evidence suggests that government forces were responsible for the
deliberate killing of 16-year-old Omer Shabani ..." ; "...
government forces were responsible for the wanton destruction and
looting of villages perceived as being pro-NLA..."[Full
Letter by HRW]

This map represents the areas around Albania historically inhabited
by Albanians. Macedonia Albanians are concentrated in the western part
of Macedonia, struggling for better lives within the existing borders. The
map is intended to show that Macedonia Albanians have been living in
those areas for many generations, contrary to some beliefs that
Macedonia Albanians have come in Macedonia from Albania or Kosova.

Macedonia Albanian political factors have
emphasized the integrity of the Macedonian territory and borders.